CA C 1 - Raising Voices

CAC 2
304
Activity 2.8 Concept of Human Rights (30 min)
Objective
■ Discuss the concept of human rights.
CAC 2
Steps
1. Start by introducing the word ‘rights’. We all use it in our everyday language. We say things like, “She
had a right to do that,” or “We have a right to say what we think.”
2. Ask the participants to suggest examples of the use of the word ‘rights’ from their own experiences.
When was the first time they remember hearing it? What was the context in which it was heard?
Encourage people to contribute short experiences of the usage of the word ‘rights’.
3. When you feel that the group has a common understanding of what is meant by the word ‘rights’,
open a discussion by asking the participants:
■ From where do we get our rights?
■ Who gave them to us?
■ Can they be taken away?
4. Encourage a wide range of viewpoints and ask open-ended questions that expand the discussion.
You may have to adopt the role of asking contrary questions. For example:
■ If people say, “God gives us rights,” you could ask, “What about people who don’t believe in
God, or believe in a different God?”
■ If people say, “The government gives us rights,” ask, “Can the government decide which rights
we have and which we don’t? Can people disagree with the government? If the government
didn’t exist, would we still have rights?”
5. The aim of this discussion is not to come up with a correct answer but to get people thinking about
the concept of human rights. It is an example of a reflective discussion where people slowly come to
see the assumptions behind their beliefs. Some key points you may want to introduce in the
discussion include:
■ Usually when we talk of human rights we are talking of natural rights. We are all born with natural
rights and they cannot be taken away by anyone. A government may make a law that formalizes
our natural rights or protects additional rights (e.g., right to own property, right to appeal a
decision deemed unfair in a court of law, a right to a trial before conviction, etc.).
■ Human rights are ‘entitlements’ that every human being has just because they are human. All
human beings have rights – we are born with them and they cannot be taken away.
■ The rights we claim are deeply linked to our view and understanding of justice.
■ A government can affirm and help protect our rights by creating laws, but governments do not
give us our human rights.
■ Every right comes with responsibilities. This means that since I have a right to live free of
violence, I have a responsibility to respect others’ right to safety by being non-violent.
■ When a person violates another person’s rights, they give up some of their own rights. For
example,if a person kills another person, he gives up his right to freedom and may be imprisoned.
■ Every culture and people has a concept of human rights even if they do not use the word ‘right’.
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